Process for production of phenol and cyclohexanone
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorPaul S. Hudson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Benzene is converted by reductive alkylation to cyclohexylbenzene; cyclohexylbenzene by oxidation and cleavage is converted into a mixture of cyclohexylbenzene, phenol and cyclohexanone; after removal of cyclohexylbenzene from this mixture, the remaining mixture consisting essentially of phenol and cyclohexanone is effectively separated into its components by extractive distillation with a sulfolane.
Claims14
A process for separation of a mixture of phenol and cyclohexanone which comprises extractively distilling said mixture of phenol and cyclohexanone in the presence of a sulfolane having the formula ##STR2## in which R is hydrogen or an alkyl radical having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or phenyl as the extractive solvent to result in an overhead stream of cyclohexanone and a bottom stream consisting of essentially of a mixture of sulfolane and phenol.
A process for the production of phenol and cyclohexanone which comprises
- a. converting benzene in the presence of a reductive alkylation catalyst to cyclohexylbenzene,
- b. contacting said cyclohexylbenzene in an oxidation step with oxygen or an oxygen-containing oxidizing compound and thereby at least partially converting said cyclohexylbenzene into cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide.
- c. contacting said cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide in a cleavage step with a strong acid and thereby at least partially converting it into a mixture comprising phenol, cyclohexanone and cyclohexylbenzene,
- d. separating cyclohexylbenzene in a separation step from said mixture comprising phenol, cyclohexanone and cyclohexylbenzene to result in a stream consisting essentially of phenol and cyclohexanone,
- e. extractively distilling said stream of phenol and cyclohexanone in the presence of a sulfolane having the general formula ##STR3## wherein the radicals R, which can be the same or different, are individually selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl radicals having 1 to 6 carbon atoms and phenyl as the extractive solvent in an extraction step to result in a stream consisting essentially of cyclohexanone and another stream consisting essentially of a mixture of phenol and sulfolane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.